appearance

American  

[uh-peer-uhns] / əˈpɪər əns /

noun

• appearances
  plural

1. the act or fact of appearing, as to the eye or mind or before the public.

   the unannounced appearance of dinner guests; the last appearance of Caruso in Aïda; her first appearance at a stockholders' meeting.

   Synonyms:

   advent, coming, arrival

2. the state, condition, manner, or style in which a person or object appears; outward look or aspect.

   a table of antique appearance; a man of noble appearance.

   Synonyms:

   presence, demeanor

3. outward show or seeming; semblance.

   to avoid the appearance of coveting an honor.

   Synonyms:

   pretense, face

4. Law. the coming into court of either party to a suit or action.

5. appearances, outward impressions, indications, or circumstances.

   By all appearances, he enjoyed himself.

6. Philosophy. the sensory, or phenomenal, aspect of existence to an observer.

7. Archaic. an apparition.

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idioms

1. make an appearance, to come; arrive.

   He didn't make an appearance until after midnight.

2. put in an appearance, to attend a gathering or meeting, especially for a very short time.

   The author put in an appearance at the cocktail party on her way to dinner.

3. keep up appearances, to maintain a public impression of decorum, prosperity, etc., despite reverses, unfavorable conditions, etc..

   They tried to keep up appearances after losing all their money.

appearance British  

/ əˈpɪərəns /

noun

1. the act or an instance of appearing, as to the eye, before the public, etc

2. the outward or visible aspect of a person or thing

   her appearance was stunning

   it has the appearance of powdered graphite

3. an outward show; pretence

   he gave an appearance of working hard

4. (often plural) one of the outward signs or indications by which a person or thing is assessed

   first appearances are deceptive

5. law

   1. the formal attendance in court of a party in an action

   2. formal notice that a party or his legal representative intends to maintain or contest the issue

      to enter an appearance

6. philosophy

   1. the outward or phenomenal manifestation of things

   2. the world as revealed by the senses, as opposed to its real nature Compare reality

7. to maintain the public impression of wellbeing or normality

8. to come or attend briefly, as out of politeness

9. to the extent that can easily be judged; apparently

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appearance More Idioms  

1. see keep up appearances; put in an appearance.

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Synonym Usage

Appearance, aspect, guise refer to the way in which something outwardly presents itself to view. Appearance refers to the outward look: the shabby appearance of his car. Aspect refers to the appearance at some particular time or in special circumstances; it often has emotional implications, either ascribed to the object itself or felt by the beholder: In the dusk the forest had a terrifying aspect. Guise suggests a misleading appearance, assumed for an occasion or a purpose: under the guise of friendship.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preappearance
  noun
• reappearance
  noun
• subappearance
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• appearances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of appearance

First recorded in 1350–1400; appear + -ance; replacing Middle English aparance, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Late Latin appārentia, neuter plural of Latin appārēns apparent

Explanation

Your appearance is how you look: your clothes, hair, facial expression, skin tone, and posture all factor into your overall appearance. Ever had to go somewhere you didn't want to go? If you stopped by just briefly, you made an appearance. But this word more often has to do with how things look. Your appearance is created by everything people can see, from your hair down to your shoes. Sometimes appearances can be deceiving: maybe you give an appearance of confidence, but you're really nervous inside. The saying "don't judge a book by its cover" means "don't judge by appearances."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

appearance appearances

Instead, he attacked Haberman’s appearance and called her a scammer, a phony and a stalker.

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026

The property has been reported to feature a Portuguese Colonial-style villa with a large party room, along with watchtowers and 12 cannons that give the retreat a decidedly fortresslike appearance.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

A foot-long sub is a carb bomb, but it has saving graces: lots of protein and the appearance of fresh ingredients sliced to order.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

The move also coincided with Shein's publicity-shy founder Xu Yangtian making a rare public appearance during a major business conference in February.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Shocked by her appearance, both La Llorona and I dropped to our knees and bowed our heads.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

Two years later, she’s making sold-out appearances at such pop-up events as the Renegade Craft market in San Francisco and the Jackalope Art Fair in San Diego.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Ternus introduced Apple’s MacBook Neo back in March, and he’s made appearances on Apple’s past two earnings calls.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

They said over the past 18 years, Davis implicated himself on four separate occasions through interviews with federal and local investigators, appearances in television and YouTube documentaries, and his memoir.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Despite the recent controversy, Harp remained by the president’s side during public appearances last week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

He didn't have any juvenile criminal history—no prior arrests, no misconduct in school, no delinquencies or prior court appearances.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• arrival
• debut
• display
• presence
• presentation